Johnny Mack Brown Double Feature: Rogue of The Range (1936) / Texas Kid (1943) – DVD

Johnny Mack Brown started out as a romantic lead in the late twenties, but really made his name playing the title role in 1930's Billy The Kid. Brown would prove to be a major western star, featured in dozens of pictures before retiring in the early '50s.

Rogue Of The Range (1936, B&W): Confessing to an express company heist he didn't commit, federal agent Dan Doran goes undercover as a prison inmate. His mark is Mitchell, a dangerous outlaw with deep ties to a criminal gang that has been terrorizing the countryside. Dan wins Mitchell's trust, and the two men break out of prison and join the outlaws at their hideout. There, Doran learns the true extent of the corruption, and the powerful men behind it.

Starring Johnny Mack Brown, Lois January and Alden Chase; Screenplay Earle Snell; Directed by S. Roy Luby.

Texas Kid (1943, B&W): Marshal Nevada McKenzie is after the Scully syndicate, and finds an unlikely ally in The Texas Kid, a former member of the gang. Nevada suspects that trading post owner Naylor is orchestrating a rash of robberies as part of a plot to buy up local real estate. The Texas Kid volunteers to make sure that a critical payroll delivery isn't stolen by his old pals, but can he be trusted not to double cross Nevada?

Starring Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton and Shirley Patterson; Screenplay Jess Bowers; Directed by Lambert Hillier.

• western